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1000-hours/sounds-of-american-english/2-vocal-tract.md

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+# 2. 发声器官（Articulators）
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+尽管说着不同的语言，人类的大脑构造和发声器官构造却都是一样的。也正因为如此，所有的人类幼崽都具备习得地球上任何一种语言的潜能 —— 这其实还真是一个颇有些惊人却又常常被忽视的事实。
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+Despite speaking different languages, humans share the same structure of brain and articulators. It's this commonality that grants every human infants the potential to master any language on Earth - a fascinating yet often overlooked fact.
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+我们用**嘴**说话…… 更详细地讲，我们讲英文的时候所使用的**发声器官**主要包括：**下巴**（*lower jaw*）、**嘴唇**（*lips*）、**牙齿**（*teeth*）、**龈脊**（*alveolar ridge*）、**舌尖**（*tongue tip*）、**舍背**（*tongue roof*）、**咽**（*pharynx*）、**喉**（*larynx*）、**声带**（*vocal cords*）等等。
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+We use our *mouths* as a means of communication... To be more precise, when speaking English, key components of speech production include: *lower jaw* (or mandible), *lips*, *teeth*; *alveolar ridge* (the small bump right behind your upper front teeth); *tongue tip* and *rongue roof* or dorsum; and then throat areas which can be further divided into two parts: *pharynx* and *larynx*. Last but not least come your voice makers - *vocal cords.*
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+![Speech Tract (zh-CN)](/images/Speech-Tract(zh-CN).svg)
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+另外一个重要的方面是**呼吸**（*breathe*）—— 呼吸不仅影响声音，也影响节奏；因为换气的必要，自然语流中总是存在**停顿**（*pause*）。
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+The act of breathing also plays a vital role — it not only affects speech sound quality but rhythm too due to natural *pauses* for airflow regulation during continuous speech flow.